Inside Elvis Presley’s Final Concert: What Really Happened Onstage 48 Years Ago?
On June 26, 1977, Elvis Presley looked up to Jesus, then sauntered onstage at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana, to the opening strains of “See See Rider.” The pitch-black pompadour and chunky sideburns were perfectly styled. His signature sneer was in place. But Elvis’ spangled jumpsuit and strategically-placed guitar couldn’t hide The King’s paunchy belly.
To those who didn’t follow him closely, the 42-year-old probably looked like a chunky, middle-aged guy who kinda looked like Elvis.
Everett Collection
Elvis couldn’t have known it. Or perhaps, on some level, the ailing rocker — at the end of a ten-day Midwest run — did.
The fans who packed the now-demolished 17,000-seat venue certainly couldn’t have known it. Or maybe they suspected.
But that night, in the heart of downtown Indy, was the last time Elvis would ever take the stage. Just 51 days later, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll died at his Graceland home in Memphis.
How was the show?
Everett Collection
Depending on which local music critics you ask, the 80-minute show was a success — a crowd-pleasing run of Elvis’ biggest hits, well worth the “up to $15” fans paid for a seat — or it was an utter embarrassment.
The Indianapolis Star‘s Dan Carpenter noted that many loyal fans, “had waited overnight in freezing weather for the right to see the man who’s remained a star for 24 years in a business whose practitioners seldom last longer than fruit flies.”
His colleague, Rita Rose, chimed in: “At 42, Elvis is still carrying around some excess baggage on his mid-section, but it didn’t stop him from giving a performance in true Presley style. His coveted scarves, tossed into the audience after gracing the singer’s neck, caused mad scrambles by the stage as he got rid of them just about as fast as they were put around his neck.”
Over at the Indianapolis News, Zach Dunkin thought otherwise. Noting that the main attraction didn’t take the stage till nearly 10 o’clock, Dunkin also complained that the Presley production was “tacky and outdated” with poor sound and only “adequate” lighting. Plus, he grumbled, folks had to sit through a quartet of opening acts that included a Vegas-based brass band, a gospel quartet, a comedian, and a soul trio.
“He’s not getting older, he’s getting better”
In the end, it was Elvis’ fans who got the last word about their hero’s final show.
In Carpenter’s front-page piece the morning after the show, he quoted faithful follower Michelle Klein of Detroit, who took in the show with her sister and her niece.
“We’ve seen him at least 50 times, in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and other places,” the giddy admirer said. “We saw him when he first made it big in 1956. He hasn’t changed a bit. He’s better looking now than he ever was. As they say, he’s not getting older, he’s getting better.’”
Out on a high note
By the end of the Indianapolis show, the effort of performing live was obvious. The pompadour escaped the grip of pomade. Sweat pooled under Elvis’ eyes and above his upper lip as his face seemed ever puffier. The jumpsuit fell open to his big-buckled belt. But Elvis seemed weary yet happy. He was still in fine voice and appeared to know it, never skimping on runs or avoiding the big notes, even an hour in.
His final song of the night — the final song he would ever perform in public — was a surprisingly lilting rendition of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” on the heels of a soaring “Unchained Melody.” His dad, Vernon Presley, had watched him perform in Omaha a few nights before, accompanied by Elvis’ pretty brunette girlfriend, the model Ginger Alden. Portions of that show, plus the evening in Indianapolis were combined into the CBS special “Elvis in Concert” that aired Oct. 3, 1977 in tribute to the fallen legend.
A plaque commemorating Elvis’ final concert, featuring a photo of Presley wearing his “Aztec sundial” jumpsuit, was placed where Market Square Arena’s parking lot once stood on the 25th anniversary of the show. When the lot was repurposed, it moved around a bit and now stands at on Market St. between New Jersey St. and Alabama St. Fans still gather, placing tokens and flowers to honor the man who gave them everything he had, right up to the end.
And as for me, my final memory of my parents’ hero took place in an intersection on Green Bay, Wisconsin’s Main Street. Mom and dad had gotten dressed to the nines to see Elvis at Titletown’s Brown County arena on April 28 of ’77, just two months before his final show. On the day Elvis died, mom was back in Green Bay to take me school shopping when the news came over the radio. She stopped the car right there, oblivious to the blaring horns, and cried.
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